1. Field of Invention
The present invention is an improved ice maker, incorporated into the existing water supply and electrical connection within the freezer compartment of a refrigerator, the improved ice maker having a microcontroller that coordinates the making of ice in the ice maker through temperature sensors, electric heater arrays separating the frozen ice cubes from the tray of aluminum cups which form the ice cubes, the temperature sensors keying the process of heating the tray, rotating the tray, ejecting the cubes, and returning the tray to position to form new ice cubes, during which a bail arm is lowered to check the level of ice in the storage container which holds the ejected ice cubes, the bail arm sensing the amount of ice cubes in the container to determine if more ice is needed. The ice maker also has sensors to determine if a problem has occurred in the ice maker, signaling the microcontroller to cancel the ice making process and activate a warning system to alert the consumer that the ice maker is experiencing a problem which needs to be remedied and the ice maker in need of being reset to resume function.
2. Description of Prior Art
The following United States patents were discovered and are disclosed within this application for utility patent. All relate to ice makers, but none of them utilize the microcontroller which controls the actions and operation of the devices.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,329,786 and 5,160,094 to Willis disclose ice makers which involves an ice tray having a heater element to partially thaw the ice from the ice maker after which ejector blades force the ice from the tray into an ice bin. This device includes a thermostat which controls the start process of the ice ejection, which comprises the electrical circuit constituting several switches, a motor and a thermostat. This device senses water in the ice tray, commences an ejection process where the ice tray remains stationary and the blades rotate in a circular pattern, with some heat applied to the ice tray to promote removal of the ice from the tray, and a bale arm rotates up and down in a cycle to indicate whether to continue ice production or not, with a sensor to stop the ice making process when the bale arm gets stuck in the ice. The bale arm is generally down when at rest.
An ice maker with a heater to assist in dislodging ice from the trays is also disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,833,894 to Chesnut, having a fuse in the heating element to prevent overheating of the ice. In U.S. Pat. No. 4,233,819 to Stottmann, an ice maker is disclosed having a rotating ice tray with concave cups on opposing sides of a rotating axis filled with cryogenic liquified gas to freeze ice in the tray and release the ice when inverted as new water is added to the tray on the opposite side of the axis, this cycle repeating perpetually, with the cryogenic liquid gas cooling the empty tray by fluid gravity.
None of these or any other patent searched discloses an ice maker with the microcontroller controlled circuitry of the present invention, nor does it employ a combination of ice tray rotation with retractable ejector arms, a heating device attaching to the tray, water level sensors, thermal sensors and a bale arm which is in the upright position, traveling downward to check the level of the ice in the storage bin, returning to an upright position when inactive, nor do the previous inventions have any reset means to indicate a variety of system failures derived from circuit feedback causing the ice maker to halt further ice production until the problem is remedied.
The primary objective of the invention is to provide an ice maker controlled by a programmed microcontroller to expedite the efficient production of ice, the microcontroller coordinating the filling of ice to the tray, the determination of when the ice is frozen, the mechanical ejection process including the rotation of the ice tray while heating the ice tray, the spring-loaded ejection process, the return of the ice tray to level, the movement of the bale arm to determine a variable amount of ice in the ice bin under the ice maker, and the continued cycle of the above ice making process, with a system signal return indicating the working order of the system to continue the ice making cycle.
A secondary objective of the invention is to have the bale arm positioned up and out of the way at rest to prevent damage to the bale arm during removal of the ice storage bin.
A third objective of the invention is to provide the ice maker with a constant safety status monitor to deactivated the system when a system problem of failure is noted in the programming due to a component malfunction of cessation of programmed operation until the problem is remedied. A fourth objective of the invention is to reduce the number of moving components in the ice maker fro prior art ice makers to reduce the number of moving component failures, as well as general failure of moving components due to movement and friction associated with normal operation over time.